In many cases, strong employment gains (and a tight mortgage-lending market) are pushing younger workers toward renting. In the Lone Star state of Texas, for instance, Midland enjoys the second-lowest unemployment rate: just 3.5%. Good jobs availability spurred population growth by 25,000 since 2010, yet apartment development has not kept up. Average rent in that Texas city jumped over 18% year-over-year.

Here are the top 7 cities for apartment rent growth as of July 2017, according to Yardi Matrix.